Fishing requires persons practicing the sport to perform a number of different tasks in order to maximize the possibility of having a successful outing. Some of these tasks are associated with tending to the fishing line which is prone to becoming damaged by tangling, bruising or cutting. When this occurs, fishermen often have to spend time cutting away the damaged sections of line, and cutting off and reattaching hooks, flies, lures and the like to an undamaged section of the line. Also, fishermen need to keep their hooks sharp so as to increase their chances of being able to land fish. This requires the fishermen to frequently file their hooks so that they are always in the appropriate state of readiness. The need to perform these tasks takes away from the time one is able to actually fish and, some believe, serves to detract from the pleasure of the sport. Moreover, some fishermen, such as fly fishermen who fish in mid-stream, must hold their fishing equipment in their hands or under their arms while tending it. This requires these individuals to exercise a degree of concentration and mechanical dexterity that can further detract from the enjoyment of the activity.
There have been some attempts at providing multi-purpose tools to assist fishermen in the repair and maintenance of their equipment. A disadvantage of many of these tools is that while they serve some functions, they are often difficult to use, especially when a person has only one hand to work the tool since the other hand is needed to hold the fishing rod or the portion of line being tended. For example, one known tool requires a person to unsnap and then rotate a lever before the tool can be used to cut line. The same tool also requires a person to place his/her thumbnail in relatively small indentations in order to access the blades that are stored between the upper and lower plates of the tool. These activities require a degree of concentration and an element of time that contributes to the complexity of the fishing process and can reduce the pleasure of the sport.